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Broken Terracotta Pot Planter

Finished repurposed terracotta pot planter under pergola

They have done it again! My two mischievous Jack Russell terriers managed to knock over one of my favourite pots, leaving me with a broken terracotta pot. Instead of tossing it out, I decided to transform it into a beautiful DIY planter. This repurposed terracotta pot was the perfect do-over project for our latest Do It Over Designers Blog Hop, where bloggers share upcycling and recycling ideas. If you’ve ever had a plant pot break, you’ll see how easy it is to turn it into a stunning garden feature.

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July 23, 2022 By

Leather belt wall hanging

Finished leather belt wall hanging styled on a wall

Meet the Leather Belt Wall Hanging—a bold, textured art piece made entirely from recycled belts and a round wooden base. A quick chat with my local charity shop produced a mountain of damaged belts headed for landfill, and that pile sparked the perfect upcycle.

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March 26, 2022 By

Captain’s Chair Restoration

Captains chair fully restore in mahogany leather and gold studs

Have you ever spotted an old chair on the side of the road and imagined its potential? That’s exactly what happened with this vintage captain’s chair. I found it abandoned outside my chiropractor’s office, drenched from the rain and waiting for the skip. I asked if I could rescue it to practise my furniture restoration skills. I’d never restored a captain’s chair before, so it seemed like the perfect low-risk challenge. If it didn’t work out, at least I’d learned something new.

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May 28, 2022 By

Scrap Wood Mirror

Scrap wood mirror frame with copper highlights — finished front view

Scrap Wood Mirror Frame with Copper Highlights is a quick upcycle that transforms a plain mirror into striking wall art using only offcuts and found materials. I’ve been tackling my scrap pile lately, and this project uses the smallest pieces to decorate a simple mirror frame. Imperfections are welcome. Rough edges, dents, and random textures build character. I’ll show the full process, the fixes for a couple of hiccups, and simple ways to seal and hang your finished mirror.

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July 24, 2021 By

DIY Retractable Awning Canvas Replacement

Finished retractable awning with fresh scalloped canvas

After repainting our home inside and out, I stood back to admire the fresh finish—then those tired retractable awning blinds stole the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. They were faded, brittle, and falling apart from years in the sun. In this post, DIY Retractable Awning Canvas Replacement, I’ll show you how I replaced both awning canvases myself for about $300 after receiving an $850 quote. It was far easier than I expected, and the result lifted our street appeal instantly.

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April 22, 2022 By

Geometric Lion Wall Hanging

Completed geometric leather lion wall hanging with a custom frame

I have recently taken a few months off from blogging to repaint the inside and outside of my house.  Instead of putting the same wall decor back up, I wanted to create all new ones. My bedroom decor is all heavy wood with African themed bedding, so I wanted to try and create a geometric lion wall hanging made from faux leather.

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April 18, 2022 By

Snakeskin-Effect Shou Sugi Ban Wall Art

Finished Shou Sugi Ban wall art- showing true colour

I didn’t plan a Shou Sugi Ban project, but this Snakeskin-Effect Shou Sugi Ban Wall Art began as a shortcut and turned into a stunner. I wanted to learn basic wood carving and thought wavy grooves would be a simple start. A quick experiment with burning and sanding revealed a dramatic snakeskin texture that appears intricate but utilises straightforward steps that can be repeated.

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April 8, 2022 By

How to make a cardboard bust

Completed Cardboard bust sculpture made from recycled materials

When the theme for this month’s International Bloggers Club (IBC) challenge was “cardboard creations,” I felt stuck for ideas—until inspiration struck from one of my failed mannequin projects. That moment sparked the idea for this unique tutorial: How to Make a Cardboard Bust using recycled cardboard boxes and a plastic mannequin as the base. It’s a perfect blend of DIY craft and mixed media sculpture, and a great way to repurpose cardboard into artistic home décor.

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March 21, 2022 By

Mixed Media Bottle Assemblage 101

Finished mixed media bottle assemblage with chained kraken-m side view

This week’s project is for the International Bloggers Club (IBC) challenge. Our theme is “All Bottled Up”—make something using a bottle. If you follow my Facebook page, you’ll know mixed media bottle assemblage is my thing. I’ll admit, it felt a bit like cheating because this theme plays to my strengths. Mixed media bottle assemblage turns a plain glass bottle into rich, touchable art. In this post, I’ll walk you through the basic techniques for making a mixed media bottle assemblage, step by step. In this post, I’ll share 15 techniques I use to build bold, 3D texture on mixed-media bottle assemblage projects. More about IBC at the end of the post.

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February 21, 2022 By

Buddha Air Planter

This week, I’m sharing my latest project for the International Bloggers Club (IBC), where our theme this month is “Mystical Makes.” If you’re wondering what that means, I had to Google it too! It refers to creations inspired by mysticism or religious symbols. My first thought was Buddha—an element that seems to appear everywhere around my home and garden. So, I decided to keep it simple and create a Buddha air planter.

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September 19, 2022 By

Round Barn Quilt Table

Finished round barn quilt table styled outdoors

I built this scrap-wood round barn quilt table to thin out my overflowing timber offcuts and turn an old, weathered patio table into something striking. Barn quilts make brilliant scrap-busters and, because this design is round, it suits tabletops beautifully.

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December 28, 2020 By

Futon Repurposed into a plant stand

Futon frame turned into a plant stand in garden corner- close up

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know I recently welcomed two new Jack Russell terrors into our family. Yes, “terrors,” not terriers, as these two little pups have kept me on my toes with their mischievous ways! One of their recent destructive moments led to a creative solution for an ongoing garden problem. Let me share how I turned a ruined futon into a stylish and functional plant stand for my garden corner.

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November 27, 2021 By